ARD NA GREINE

|PROJECT BRIEF

The Ard na Gréine Social Housing Development in Bray was completed in 2022 under the Accelerated Build Social Housing programme for Wicklow County Council. The development comprises 21 no.2 bed and 10 no.3 bed units and is less than 3km to the south of the town centre.

The accelerated build method consisted of a structural frame compromising panelised light gauge steel frames (LGSF) with integrated insulated wall panels built of site and delivered flat packed to the site for completion and delivery in a very short time period.

|PROJECT EXCELLENCE

The housing achieved a BER A2 rating using triple glazed, low conductivity, well insulated windows and doors, air-tight membranes and was built to a very high standard, meeting the requirement of Wicklow County Council. The houses have a low thermal conductivity which contributed to their high energy rating.

|TECHNICAL CHALLENGES

Existing services on site such as wastewater, surface water, water mains and ESB had to be diverted during construction. This needed to be done carefully to ensure all houses served their functions.

A design-build programme was adopted allowing only eight weeks for design and design approval of all the developmental aspects prior on the project starting on site.

Due to construction sites closing down in early 2021 as a result of extraordinarily high COVID transmission rates, the project was put on hold for a period of time during covid lockdowns. As a result the construction period was lengthened. Managing the site when it was reopened had lots of challenges with PPE, monitoring workers wellness and covering staff who were off work sick

|SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability measures are interwoven throughout this housing development such as:

A2 BER rating
Extremely energy efficient buildings
Utilizing green spaces to provide surface water permeability
LGS Framing System which reduces carbon footprint compared to traditional blockwork or timber construction
Factory production of LGS Framing System reduces waste materials
Triple glazed, low conductivity, well insulated windows and doors
High quality air tight membranes

Testimonials

Our clients are in public and private sectors, including government bodies, developers, main contractors and owners. Market areas in which we currently work are commercial, residential, industrial, hotel and leisure, education, and water engineering.

SDS design engineers & architects developed a prototype precast concrete store in London. The aim was to reduce the construction time by at least 20% but also to maintain the visual appearance of the store. The SDS team completed the brief successfully.

I have worked with SDS design engineers since 2005. In my experience SDS provide quality, cost effective designs on time and within budget.

We analysed numerous foundation solutions for retail stores over the years and found that the SDS designed lean raft foundation for store buildings is the most efficient foundation with respect to cost and materials used.